Just how important was the first Starbucks store in India? Important enough that CEO Howard Schultz was there to talk to reporters. (PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP/Getty Images)

Just how important was the first Starbucks store in India? Important enough that CEO Howard Schultz was there to talk to reporters. (PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP/Getty Images)

Photo: PUNIT PARANJPE, Ap/getty

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Shultz and Starbucks aren't going it alone. They have a partner in the deal, Tata Global Beverages. At right is vice chairman of the Tata Global Beverages, R.K. Krishna Kumar. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

Shultz and Starbucks aren't going it alone. They have a partner in the deal, Tata Global Beverages. At right is vice chairman of the Tata Global Beverages, R.K. Krishna Kumar. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

Photo: Ap/getty

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The media were interested in Starbucks' invasion of India. (PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP/Getty Images)

The media were interested in Starbucks' invasion of India. (PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP/Getty Images)

Photo: Ap/getty

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A new country, a new continent but the same old mermaid.. ( PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP/Getty Images)

A new country, a new continent but the same old mermaid.. ( PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP/Getty Images)

Photo: PUNIT PARANJPE, Ap/getty

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The coffee is bold, and so is the staff at the first Starbucks in India. (PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP/Getty Images)

The coffee is bold, and so is the staff at the first Starbucks in India. (PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP/Getty Images)

Photo: Ap/getty

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Another view of Starbucks' first store in India. (PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP/Getty Images)

Another view of Starbucks' first store in India. (PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP/Getty Images)

Photo: PUNIT PARANJPE, Ap/getty

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An Indian employee gets ready to start the latte habit in India. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

An Indian employee gets ready to start the latte habit in India. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

Photo: Ap/getty

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Soon people in India, too, will know the universal language: "Double-tall skinny, no whip, hint of cinnamon." (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

Soon people in India, too, will know the universal language: "Double-tall skinny, no whip, hint of cinnamon." (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

Photo: Ap/getty

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Indian employees are getting the Mumbai store ready for its first day. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

Indian employees are getting the Mumbai store ready for its first day. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

Photo: Ap/getty

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It could be Seattle or New York. But it's Mumbai. (PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP/Getty Images)

It could be Seattle or New York. But it's Mumbai. (PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP/Getty Images)

Photo: PUNIT PARANJPE, Ap/getty

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A worker wraps a Starbucks sign written in the Hindi script as the coffee chain's logo is seen behind a translucent screen in the background outside the chain's first Indian outlet undergoing fitting in Mumbai on Wednesday. (INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP/Getty Images) less

A worker wraps a Starbucks sign written in the Hindi script as the coffee chain's logo is seen behind a translucent screen in the background outside the chain's first Indian outlet undergoing fitting in Mumbai ... more

Photo: INDRANIL MUKHERJEE, Ap/getty

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A worker (top) wraps a Starbucks sign written in the Hindi script as the coffee chain's logo is seen behind a translucent screen in the background outside the chain's first Indian outlet undergoing fitting in Mumbai on Wednesday. (INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP/Getty Images) less

A worker (top) wraps a Starbucks sign written in the Hindi script as the coffee chain's logo is seen behind a translucent screen in the background outside the chain's first Indian outlet undergoing fitting in ... more

Photo: INDRANIL MUKHERJEE, Ap/getty

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Earlier this week, you could only sit and wait for the Mumbai Starbucks to open. (INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP/Getty Images)

Earlier this week, you could only sit and wait for the Mumbai Starbucks to open. (INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP/Getty Images)

Photo: INDRANIL MUKHERJEE, Ap/getty

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Double tall with a hint of curry: Starbucks opens in India

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Tandoori paneer roll, anyone?

Starbucks opened its first store in India on Friday in what may be a huge expansion into that country.

The Seattle company is apparently intent on opening several more stores in India, its 61st country. But CEO Howard Schultz is not saying how many more, CNNMoney reported.

Still, there have been suggestions of 50 stores will open by the end of the year

The first store is in an upscale neighborhood of Mumbai, and Starbucks intends to open two more in that city by next week, then head to New Delhi next year.

India already has coffee chains, which reportedly sell beverages for less than Starbucks.

Schultz, however, seemed nothing but confident Friday.

"It is perhaps the most elegant, beautiful, dynamic store we've opened in our history," he said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Perhaps part of that confidence comes from the growing appetite for coffee in India.

CNN notes that the average American uses 9 pounds of coffee a year. The average Indian buys less than 3 ounces.

Still, The Associated Press notes:

"Unlike Europe, where Starbucks has foundered on entrenched cafe cultures, India is full of young people looking for an unintimidating place to hang out, away from the prying eyes and cramped quarters of home.

"Retail consultancy Technopak Advisors predicted India's $230 million cafe market will swell to $410 million by 2017, with the number of cafes rising from 1,950 to 2,900 in the next five years, in a report released Thursday."

Starbucks promises locally sourced Indian espresso roast.

The company will have products U.S. consumers know, as well as some for the Indian market. Starbucks says:

"The extensive product portfolio includes Starbucks signature espresso-based beverages, as well as Starbucks VIA Ready Brew and Starbucks Reserves. The store will also offer Tata Tazo and Himalayan mineral water, and its broad food offering boasts a wide selection of 42 items; Western favorites, as well as locally relevant flavors reflected in such items as the Elaichi Mawa Croissant, Murg Tikka Panini, Tandoori Paneer Roll, and the signature Star Club."